Editorial Guidelines

Fairness and objectivity in reporting

When you visit Playinmichigan, you can trust our content to be fair, balanced and objective. On the rare occasion we publish subjective opinions or commentary, we will clearly state an article as such and label the work as an opinion piece.

Additionally, we pledge to always maintain editorial independence, meaning we have full control over what content we publish, independent of any affiliate partnerships.

Our goal of keeping readers safe

The welfare of our audience is of utmost importance to our mission at Playinmichigan. We aim to provide ample resources to keep readers — and their money — safe when it comes to both land-based and online gambling options. To that end, we extensively cover the latest developments regarding local, state and federal gambling laws and regulation.

Additionally, we only promote betting sites that are fully vetted, licensed, and approved by the state’s regulatory agency, the Michigan Gaming Control Board. This standard assures that necessary security measures have been met and responsible gambling safeguards are in place to protect consumers and their funds.

Licensed by the Michigan Gaming Control Board

Our parent company (Catena Media) is licensed in a number of jurisdictions across the US by states’ governing regulatory agencies. Playinmichigan is licensed by the Michigan Gaming Control Board as an affiliate site under Catena Operations Ltd.

• Michigan, #007543, licensed as of December 14, 2020

What that means: All gambling sites and casinos we cover on our website are legal and regulated. We never promote offshore gambling of any kind.

Our team of experts

Our editorial team and contributing writers are professional journalists who are also experts on legal gambling. Playinmichigan writers bring decades of journalistic experience across dozens of reputable national and regional publications including: ESPN, The Washington Post, The Detroit News, The Port Huron Times-Herald and The Des Moines Register.

The Playinmichigan team also draws on a wealth of experience pertaining to all levels of amateur and professional sports reporting. Our writers and editors are also experts in US gambling legislation, the Michigan casino industry and sports betting. You can learn more about our team here.

Our references, sources, and citations

Whenever possible, we rely upon first-hand sources, such as the Michigan Gambling Control Board or pertinent legislators for original reporting. When utilizing information from secondary sources, we appropriately cite them. Playinmichigan provides full transparency regarding the sources of our information.

Our editorial process

At Playinmichigan, we strictly adhere to the Society of Professional Journalists Code of Ethics in our reporting. Furthermore, every article posted at Playinmichigan undergoes a thorough review process to check for accuracy, clarity and tone. Catena Media has a dedicated team of copy editors to initially review content for factual and grammatical accuracy.

All articles are also carefully reviewed by our site runner, Danny Lawhon. Danny is an experienced sports reporter, editor and writer with more than 10 years of journalistic experience across three states. He has covered legal sports betting since 2018 and the Michigan online casino and sports betting industry since its legalization. Danny’s expert editing skills enable him to correct any remaining factual or grammatical errors and optimize content for our readers.

Fact-checking

Playinmichigan places paramount importance on maintaining its integrity and trustworthiness. That’s why we only use credible sources and have professional editors fact-check all information before it is published on the website.

How we handle errors

We prioritize the mitigation of errors in reporting, but we also understand that occasional mistakes are unavoidable. When errors are identified, we correct them with expedience. In the interest of transparency, when we make a major change or update to published information, we add a disclaimer to the page to alert readers of the revision.

How we make money

Playinmichigan is an affiliate of several legal and regulated online gambling brands within Michigan. Because of these partnerships, our site often receives referral bonuses when readers redirect to online casinos, sportsbooks or poker sites. However, we maintain sole editorial independence and full control over the content we publish.

All articles and reviews at Playinmichigan aim to provide accurate and useful information for our readers. This information comes independent of our partnerships with affiliates. We have no stake in any casino company and no involvement in any Michigan gambling operation. Any issues or concerns regarding a specific online casino, sportsbook, or poker site should be communicated directly with the betting company.

We value your feedback

We strive to provide the highest quality content for Michigan-based bettors, sports fans, and industry personalities who make up our readership. Suggestions for improvement or requests for additional content are always welcome.

Feel free to share your thoughts, requests or feedback by sending an email to [email protected].